Sunday, 1 March 2009

Chicken Madras

Pappadoms, Chicken Madras, 4.5 pints of lager and a big glass of red wine, muesli when I finally got home at 2am and some supplementary rehydrating drinks throughout the night. 12 units of alcohol by my reckoning and I'm pretty sure I was the most sober person there. A standard Scottish Saturday night out. I knew I'd recover from it but felt pretty sure my Sunday was wasted which these days is a major major sacrifice.

To my surprise I slept well and deeply, finally deciding to get up at about 11am. I gingerly tested out my condition but I felt surprisingly good. Was I going to be good for a run today after all? The sun was shining through the window. Maybe 10 miles. Maybe up the Water of Leith 5 miles and then back. There was a brisk west wind blowing for which the Water of Leith is a good option.

When I went out I thought I'd made a mistake only wearing shorts and t-shirt. The wind was pretty icy and 3 minutes into my run it started to rain and then hail. I thought maybe it was a mistake to carry on but that wasn't how I felt. I felt fantastic. The strongest I've felt for ages. Presumably this is more to do with my 35 miler last Sunday than my binge drinking last night. I had a great run, slowed only by Sunday walkers who I suppose really do have a right to the path too..

I was mostly running sub 8 minute pace, which I hear you sneer isn't all that great, well for me it is. Its really unusual for me to go out on my own and run sub 8 minute pace. I can do it in races and I can do it for the entire duration of a marathon but its very rare to do it on my own and not racing. Today it was a joy. My legs felt strong and the air was sharp and bracing and its definitely nearly spring.

I had to do some essential slowing to accommodate the needs of others and to allow traffic to pass, so average pace is 8.09. 10 miles exactly, time taken 1h21mins, av HR 157. Yeehah.